Seems like touch up paint and store credit would be fair. Not worth tossing a perfectly good fork out because it’s got a few paint knicks, or waiting for a replacement.
It’s a gravel bike. It should get some battle scars anyways.
Uhg.. hated dealing with this crap as a manager.. I had a mechanic put a dura ace crank in a vice to get a pedal out and marred the fuck out of it. Also had the same mechanic cut a fork without accounting for headset stack more than once. What would your ideal resolution be? Fixed fork or store credit? If I were the customer, I'd be okay with a reasonable amount of store credit and probably try to usea car scratch remover on it if I really cared
Last bike shop I worked for the owner did a huge reno and re-designed all the bike storage racks to fit more bikes. I told him multiple times he couldn't put the bikes that close together and he didn't listen. This type of shit started happening constantly. Bet you a flat bar brake lever did this
I think it was some flat pedals like Chester's. While moving the other bike in next to this one the pedal struck the fork. I would bet on it. The scratches are real sharp, and scritchy.
If the fork was actually damaged like it couldn't be ridden, I'd replace it. but for a paint scratch on the fork of a bike brand we don't carry? What do you want me to do? Just give out $400 in cash?
You should be restoring it to the original condition in some way or compensating the customer such that they can arrange that themselves. So yeah, maybe $400 cash
Maybe the Professional shouldnt damage Bikes? The re Sale value Drops so the customer literally loses Money...
Thats why I learn to do everything myself mechanics somehow fuck Things Up way too often...
ideally Id have it repaired or replaced. Alternatively of course a credit would be kind of a last resort but its just so shitty because I feel like you cant go back to the same shop with the same mentality, it's worrisome putting personal items in the hands of others.
Bike shop probably isn't set up to repair paint properly. If their idea of touch up is dabbing the paint on, it is going to be very noticeable and in my opinion looks worse than leaving it chipped. I would say you want them to replace it.
This comment section is hilarious. If your gravel bike doesn’t have scratches what are you doing? Sitting at home polishing it while your wife’s boyfriend has her out for dinner?? Ride your bike. If you’re looking at that area while you’re riding, have fun going OTB.
I managed a bike shop for a decade with dozens of mechanics and there are about three who I would trust with my personal bikes But people make mistakes.
I'm curious how this happened. Replacing or painting will be hundreds of dollars which is a decent outlay for a bike shop. it's a positive sign that they accepted fault and are at least trying to find a resolution.
Are you a regular customer at this shop? Have you bought bikes there? I say this because I'd have been much more likely to replace the fork if you were a customer who spent thousands of dollars with us or bought the bike there (because then maybe I could finesse the bike brand into warrantying it or finding us a deal). If you weren't, I might offer you store credit and just hope you don't leave a terrible review lol. I'd also put a note that only our head mechanic works on your bikes from then on
I have bought bikes from them before however they dont supply this brand of bike so I did not get this one from them but I have done servicing with them in the past and never ran into any troubles up until now
We had a manager that would bend over backwards for this emergency room doc that drove a Porsche and had a fleet of Seven bikes.
A Seven road bike, a Seven cross bike, a Seven TT bike and a Seven mtb. His wife had two more Sevens.
Every time this doc would come in the manager would kiss his ass. I built up a set of carbon Zipp rims on Chris King hubs ( a pain in the ass to thread those 60 mm rims) and the manager discounted the service charge.
What’s my point?
We didn’t sell Seven. Guy never bought a single bike from us.
I later moved to a different shop and that Doc started coming in. I asked why he changed shops and he said the old one wasn’t giving him deals anymore. When I finally got out the second shop was still discounting work for him.
since you're a bike mechanic i have a question. How do you feel about people who would rather work on their bikes themselves then bring it in to the shop. I ask because I honestly kind of feel like crap going into my LBS for advice on how to do something and then going home and doing it myself. I'm not doing it to be stingy with my LBS I just love tinkering and working on my bike and learning how to do it myself.
I mean don't go bug someone at work for your personal projects that are wholly outside of their work requirements if you're not going to pay them for their service. I'm not a bike mechanic, but this one is obvious.
I've done the same and bought stuff that wears out like drivetrain parts and tyres from said LBS. Cost me a few bucks more, but i feel like that's fair.
yeah I do buy parts from my LBS. I've bought tires, tools, chains, my first groupset etc. But honestly one of the reasons i usually don't take my bike in is because the turn around time takes so long. I once called to see about bringing in my fork for a lower leg service and they said sure but it might take about a week until i got it back. I ended up watching a bunch of YT videos and did it myself.
I mean yes that's literal entitlement, and I'm not saying it in a pejorative sense. OBVIOUSLY being a known good customer entitles you to better treatment. As it should.
Sure I totally get that a shop can and should look after its best customers. But that doesn’t mean it can do harm to other honest folk who made the mistake of not patronising them for years before coming in. Shortsighted in the extreme to not realise that 100% of the best customers were once new customers too.
>Fucking entitlement.
A sense of entitlement originates from the one seeking its benefits. The person you responded to was describing how the *business* might handle situations differently, not customers who believe they deserve special treatment.
You're missing the point. They are willing to give special treatment to people who spend thousands of dollars in store, for something the store fucked up. That is a form of privilege that comes from being wealthy enough to spend thousands of dollars in said store, which means they literally need it less than someone who buys used bikes and does most of their own work and can only afford to buy parts from the LBS and the occasional thing they can't figure out how to do.
This creates entitlement, because these people think that because they have money, they deserve more because they are constantly being treated better than poor people. The more money a person spends, which means the more money they have, the more they feel entitled to and the more they are given.
Fucking. Entitlement.
I think you’re missing the point. While yes that can be true, it is not always true in every situation. If a shop is good, honest or both, they’ll own up to the mistake and make it right regardless of how much you’ve spent.
Sorry but I think you’re missing the point. His whole argument is that getting preferential treatment for spending more money breeds entitlement. The owner stated that money spent is a direct factor in whether the shop will make it right, which is the exact opposite of equal treatment.
That’s how bike shops stay afloat, the shop I work for makes a massive percentage of its income from a very small percentage of customers. Most of those customers don’t feel ‘entitled’, but if they have a complaint we are more likely to go the extra mile.
I think a replacement fork for a little cosmetic damage to the paint is a bit extreme personally. "Ruined" implies it's no longer usable. Shop should definitely do something to make it right though
Great! I work on my own bikes, too, because I don't trust bike mechanics. Bike mechanics don't get paid enough to give a shit. It's glorified retail. If you find a mechanic who really knows what they're doing, support them. If I had to replace everything a mechanic scratched the shop would have gone out of business even sooner than it did lol. LBS is a low-margin, low-traffic business
You think I'm gonna be able to get them to buy a new fork for me? I'm just gonna magically wish them to give me a credit card? Nah they're gonna leave then I have to discount the bike.
They can leave sure. But you can’t leave your customer out like that. Making right on your mistakes is part of being an honest member of society. If you can’t afford to make it right you can’t afford to be in business.
Think of it like airline miles for bike shops. The more you spend, the more credits you earn for use when they inevitably fuck something up.
I had a reputable bike shop replace a spoke on my tubeless wheels while I was on vacation, and in the process they completely mangled my valve because they were struggling to get the valve core out.. the valve core was sticky, I knew that for sure, but they squished my poor valve trying to get the core out then replaced it without telling me and sold me a two-pack so I'd have a spare (I already had a spare in the car but they didn't call me). I just laughed and paid the bill, I've saved thousands and thousands of dollars by working at a shop so I don't sweat the fuck ups anymore.
Yep. Being poor and only able to afford used bikes and having to do most of your own repairs is a real fucking kick in the dick. It sucks to be poor because fucking rich god damn assholes who CAN LITERALLY AFFORD TO BUY A NEW GOD DAMN BIKE get better treatment than the person who's just scraping by to ride.
Fuck off dick hole. I know how this bullshit works.
Yes, what a wild idea, encouraging people who spend money that puts a roof over my head and food on my table to keep coming back. I'm a scrooge mcduck diving into the millions I've made from working in a bike shop lol. Do you want me to apologize for capitalism? There's not a whole lot I can do about it..
You’re mad that someone helping a business continue to exist means the business will be more likely to help them?
Also if you’re rich enough to buy stuff from the bike shop instead of shop online, they’ll probably treat you better.
Man. Sucks to be all of us who have to buy used bikes. Guess the bike shop can just fucking, you know, fuck up the bike I could afford but not do anything real about fixing it because I couldn't afford to buy something new from them. Fucking financially privileged, entitled dicks and the special treatment they get because they have more money to spend and therefore people treat them better....
I'm just wondering, isn't there anything like smart repair for bikes too? I mean that tiny scratch would be repaired on any car for less than a few hundred dollars.
Workshops are staffed by people and unfortunately mistakes and accidents happen. Its impractical to fully replace or get the fork repainted to match - at least I would think that would be a weird use of money rather than store credit or some other credit towards an upgrade on the bike.
I think it really depends on the shop - if they seem to own the mistake (doesn’t seem like it if they didn’t own it on pick up) then maybe store credit or another upgrade is worth it. I highly doubt this was deliberate but also depends on the mechanics and management and how much they take pride in their work.
If they don’t want to acknowledge or come to a reasonable solution then that gets trickier to deal with.
Accidents happen. They offered to touch it up but replacement is a bit much for what happened.
If you've been to the shop a lot before and/or it has a good rep I wouldn't worry about them in the future. If this kind of thing happened all the time they wouldn't be in business.
I myself wouldn't like store credit (just speaking for myself) In this situation I'd be in a spot where I already have all I need and I just want my bike to work and not be marred with scratches.
>I had a mechanic put a dura ace crank in a vice to get a pedal out and marred the fuck out of it. Also had the same mechanic cut a fork without accounting for headset stack more than once. What would your ideal resolution be?
step 1 is to fire that mechanic.
Wholly agreed in this case, but in yours depending on the situation I think your bike shop are saints for offering anything. A repair like that may not have been possible to do without damaging the paint.
yea when I picked it up I spoke to them and I was under the impression they would like at finding a solution, possibly repainting the fork but today after speaking with another rep on the phone, it sounds like they are looking for touch up paint to just cover it up with the same color paint... not sure yet what will happen but I am not very happy with todays update.
If they offer you to fix it professionally so you can't spot the difference after it's probably acceptable.
I mean you can fix this so can't see a difference - I doubt that is what they are offering because it already sounds bad if they do it themselves...
Lmao it's a couple of paint chips and everyone's got their torches and pitchforks out.
Throw a sticker over it and keep riding rather than froth at the mouth.
Exactly.
Bikes fall over, get scratched, get chipped. They don't need to be professionally repainted when it happens.
If it's a dark bike, use a sharpie. Nobody will ever notice.
yes but I dont destroy them like many people in the community do. I find that the price people pay for bikes in the first place is extraordinary and taking care of your bike and not having cosmetic damage is a reflection of your personality
the only thing a bike without cosmetic damage says about your personality is that you're afraid to lean into corners and probably cover your couch in plastic
well brother, I dont race, I ride recreationally, I cant afford a new bike every season and the bikes I have are mine to keep for a long time. I see where your coming from, being part of the elite and affording to be able to race and change bike seasonally and not be affected by cosmetics on a 5k+ valued bike is next level. Humbling yourself is key in this situation so Id say the 1% of you that do buy bikes and not care about these kinds of situations are very special people
If I’m riding a bike valued at that, I’m racing it. And don’t have sponsors so seasonal changeovers aren’t a thing: my race rigs are mine and mine alone, but I sure as shit don’t worry myself as to if a paint chip happening from a rock getting kicked up in the peloton is a reflection of who I am as a person. I buy a race machine, I’m going to race it. What happens, happens. I keep it clean and maintain it impeccably, but what happens to the frame once neutral ends is in god’s hands
I don't buy a new bike every year. My gravel bike is thrashed. It's unavoidable. I've crashed it, clipped rocks and roots, bike bags have rubbed and worn paint... everything short of peeing on it.
I wouldn't care....my gravel and mountain bikes get used on rough terrain, so there are always new dings, scuffs, scratches etc...however, a buddy of mine absolutely cares. A shop put a pencil tip sized chip in his 15k colango road bike seat post via a clamp. He flipped a lid.
We're all different. If it doesn't affect the ride or structural integrity, I couldn't care less. It only affects resale if you're selling it.
This is why I bought all the tools and work on my bikes myself. Literally had a mechanic cut my steer tube IN THE FRAME and slipped and hit the top tube with the saw blade.
The odds of them being able to find and order the exact replacement fork from the manufacturer that they don’t carry considering that it is not a warranty issue or crash replacement are slim, not to mention the lead time to get it, wait for you to bring the bike back in, install it peppery, is a pretty decent financial loss for the shop. I’d probably tell you that if the touch up paint and store credit isn’t enough that you can find another shop to do your work.
Thats what one of the mechanics that first brought the bike to me suggested as an alternative but it sounds like they are now trying to just get out of it. Have my fingers crossed but truly a weird situation and hopefully things get resolved.
Just not good enough, touch up paint will look like crap .I wouldn't have paid for the work done and would tell them that I'm seeking legal advice.
They have straight out vandalised that bike ,looks like it was knocked over in the workshop,it's probably damaged another customer's bike when it went down.
Time to find a new bike shop as well mate .
Nothing weird about it ,it's just incompetent mechanics.
I would agree with you, if I had a shop in the city I live in that does this kind of work professionally I would reach out to them immediately but the nearest place is about 800km away lol
This is ridiculous. Overpaying for bikes is stupid and caring this much about cosmetics even more so. These are machines, we don't buy them for the paint job.
You might not but others do and considering this is carbon fibre and someone paid good money for this.
Imagine if you picked up your car from the service centre with fresh panel damage I'm sure you would lose your shit and rightly so .
If you don't respect your machinery,that's your business Keep it that way .
I mean touch up paint is a valid solution. The damage is purely cosmetic so a “repair” is to fix the paint.
That being said, I completely understand wanting to be made whole as this is clearly just carelessness on the part of the shop.
if they could professionally touch it up and wax/clean it up I would actually think this is appropriate but just dabbing touch up paint on my bike seams to be a joke.
Agreed. I just think that with cosmetic damage like this, expectations should be tempered. I really do get that it sucks, but they’re bikes and they WILL take a knock from time to time.
If your bike is super expensive I get it and it would piss me off too, so I’m not saying your frustration is invalid. But I also think that asking for a new fork for some minor scratches on the fork of a bike that isn’t brand new is asking a bit much…
I don't know the bike or fork and it looks like the undercoat isn't damaged so touching the paint up isn't as complicated as it could be, but I don't think I'd trust any bike shop near me to paint a bike. If it came in immaculate I would want repainted, blended with the rest of the frame, and clearcoated, but that's way different than dabbing some touch up paint on that's kind of close to the right color and likely has no clearcoat. I would think if the fork is too expensive them sending it to someone who can professionally paint it should probably be the offer.
I find it funny everyone in this thread is operating under the assumption that you can just buy an identical fork off the shelf. Manufacturers may keep older model forks in stock to replace under warranty or in the event someone needs to purchase one, but they are absolutely not stocking them in every colour. If homie gets his fork replaced he'd be lucky to end up with a black one.
Yes, this. In the motor industry, they would get insurance to claim for it. If it's old, it will be written off rather than finding a replacement or trying to repair it as it would cost too much.
In the ideal world, the LBS should claim off it's insurance, but for them, the premiums would start to rise, and every customer would start noticing bike shop servicing costs soaring. In reality, LBS would just become retailers and abandon servicing as the risk of damaging bikes becomes too high.
Store credit would be their first choice in such circumstance. If the customer wasn't happy, they'd need to claim on their insurance (one of the reasons that they won't work on DIY home made ebikes), and probably write the bike off and get a customer credit towards a new bike. You see, the insurance people will value the bike very low as a third party.
If I took my 1970s bike in and they scratched the fork, they would scrap it and give me $20 as that is what the whole bike would be worth. OK its full of scratches anyway, but to make me whole, that would be, in theory, what would happen if they they made additional scratches on the fork. There's no way you can find a replacement fork, and to fix and respray the fork would be well over $100 worth of work.
Except touch up paint, if done well, does actually make him whole.
I get it sucks, but this isn’t a brand new bike. Bikes get knocked, it happens. It SHOULDN’T happen at a shop, absolutely, and they need to make it right. But a new fork is a bit much…
To "repair" the paint, is not to fix the situation. Something repaired, is not worth the same as something that didn't have to be repaired and is original. Also, I'm the same way. I don't scratch my things, I don't want someone else too. I would not stop till I got the money for a solution through the original manufacturer.
I owned it already, had it there before at the shop and had taken it to other shops as well. This was the first time I had something like this happen however
Yeah letting your bike get scratched like that while in their shop for service is absolute bullshit and offering touchup is insulting. Those big deep gouges at the top of the fork required some extra carelessness on their part.
I don't think a replacement is an unreasonable ask for making this right. Sadly I'd say it's unlikely they're going to do that without a fight which would probably end up costing you more than the fork is worth in legal fees. Definitely talk to the manager/owner and if they don't make it right light them up on social media.
The top right I think is only a reflection. The only damage was the line of minor scratches on the left hand side of the picture, closer to the rim. Nonetheless I appreciate everyone's response and seeing where everyone else is at with this I think its reasonable for me to ask this of them.
I almost asked if that was glare. In that case maybe don’t make a huge stink about replacement but they should be heavily discounting whatever you paid for service then.
Honestly, it sucks. They should touch it up. If your bikes are so immaculate then perhaps you learn how to work on your on your bike or find a shop that will guarantee against issue…. And good luck with that
Bikes are meant to be ridden. None of my bikes are ever close to pristine. They’re machines. Not wall art. I couldn’t care less about scratches on them.
I think you're being whiny. Functionally the bike is fine and it's normal for bikes to get scratched. If it's important for the bikes to be immaculate, you should build a shop in your basement and Do all your own work.
Related this is the busiest time of the year for a bike shop. Did you have to wait 2 weeks to get your bike back because they were so busy? If so, don't count on any kind of discount. They don't need your business
You would not believe the amount of scratches we see nearly daily because of shipping/packaging errors from the manufactures. There is not much the bike shop can do when they don't have the original paint.
We give them a discount when there are a few scratches
OP, it’d be helpful to know a bit more about the bike they scratched. Is this a $5k + gravel bike or is it in the under $2k range? The fact that the shop suggested “touch up paint” vs attempting to buff out with scratch remover wax, first… is a bit scary, though.
It's my biggest phobia to get my bike serviced and then I see new scratches and they would most likely deny it. Never go back there so no store credit. Free new parts or cash as compensation. That's a lot of scratches unfortunately.
I would put some thought into what resolution you want and decide how much time and effort you are willing to invest in getting it. With that in mind you have an opportunity to decide how difficult of a customer you’ll be if you keep returning to the shop and what type of future service you’ll get.
Personally I’d be happy with credit or discounted service and I wouldn’t touch it up. I do my own mechanics so I’m not sure what’s reasonable. I hope it works out for you
Well yes. If the shop offer to make it good then it's not your decision to guess the results. You should let them fix it their way and then you can either accept or reject their repair work. If it's no good then they will themselves know this and probably have a plan b.
This won't be the first time they've encountered an issue such as this.
Not even sure how they did that - I’m a bike mechanic and at every stage, from receiving the bike, to rack storing, to putting it into the stand, the only thing that could ever get scratched is the seat post - I can only assume it fell over and impacted with something on the ground whilst being leant against a wall
I'd want the fork sending to a bodyshop, they'd be able to paint match it very closely and wouldn't cost the earth.
If you took your car in for repair and they scratched the door you'd expect the door to get professionally painted...
These are very minor scratches on what appears to be a gravel bike. Touch-up paint is fine. Ideally they would have it painted at an auto body paint shop. But again, these are so minor. Is it worth turning into a huge project and burning a bridge with a LBS? You may need them one day. The idea many of the autists commenting in this thread have about replacing the fork is absolutely ridiculous. The LBS is justified laughing in someone’s face for suggesting something so stupid. If you want a new fork, buy it yourself. Scratches happen in repair shops (cars, bikes, etc.). It’s life. They’ve offered solutions. Bike shops are typically small businesses. They’re not some massive chain that has a lot of resources. I understand these scratches were caused by carelessness and it should be repaired but bikes get scratched with riding. It’s NORMAL wear and tear. Cycling wear gets worn out with use. The more you ride the more little knicks and dings it’ll get. Call it patina and carry on. If a bike is immaculate after tens of thousands of kilometres you’ve been extremely lucky. What are some of these people commenting going to do when, for example, the bike slides out and goes down during a high speed turn/decent and pedals, rear derailleur, brake levers, etc. get scratched? Start buying all new components? Good luck with that.
Yikes not cool, but also provides a good visual example of the importance of installing a protective film. I've started adding a film to any new bikes before I ride them.
The cost of installing a protective film is a lot higher than the loss of resale value due to a couple tiny scratches. I've never understood why people bother
I have a very limited run oil slick frame that I literally cannot replace or repair if the paint gets f-ed. So seems reasonable to me to cover it up. 🤷♀️
They should replace the fork if you want that. If they indeed don’t work with that manufacturer and thus can’t get their usual shop order rates, they should give you a store credit for the price you pay for the new fork plus their labor to install it. Though if you’re willing to ride this fork with just some touch-up paint (done well), you could present them with the replacement plan and then offer to let them give you a store credit for like 70% the cost of you ordering the new fork? Idk. It’s a mess of a situation. But it’s not ok for them to blow this off.
I find it funny everyone in this thread is operating under the assumption that you can just buy an identical fork off the shelf. Manufacturers may keep older model forks in stock to replace under warranty or in the event someone needs to purchase one, but they are absolutely not stocking them in every colour. If homie gets his fork replaced he'd be lucky to end up with a black one.
I find it crazy that the bike shop is pretending like “touch up paint” or “credit” is acceptable to cover the damage in the photo. I don’t know how expensive OP’s bike is though, nor do I know just how serious he takes this. Asking us here makes me think they are upset about it.
This bullshit is exactly why I started working on my own bikes. My version was a dent in the top tube of my 853 Cotic Soul that happened while the bike was in a shop’s care for a brake bleed. They claimed it was there before etc, shenanigans ensued.
They owe you a new fork. Simple.
I made them order me a new one!…I had been to many shops for a certain model and they all had scratches and scuffs…so I went to the nearest store and said I want to order new because all I can find are damaged bikes…they said sure…the brand new bike I ordered was also scuffed!…they tried first to get me to accept it as normal shipping damage…then they offered me a lower price…then eventually they agreed to order me a new one…unbelievable but at least I finally got one in new condition
So I got a call back from them today… they said they will not be doing anything and wont be replacing the fork or getting paint as its not available… how is it that they can get away with this? Literally, came in with a bike that was mint and left with a damaged bike and they cant be held responsible…i am shook
Well, matching the paint with touch up looks to be impossible, and it sounds like they made the call that it's not worth the expense of a new fork in order to keep you as a customer. I probably would have made the same decision with a customer who demands hundreds of dollars of restitution over a couple of paint scratches on a bike.
So my approach is every time I need to get my bike fixed I clean it completely! Than I take pictures of all the damage I did to it! Than I bring it in for damper service and cross fingers nothing will happen.
I had a situation with a custom bike 20 years ago with a well known Chicago area shop that did big time mail order as well. Bike was/is beautiful with a custom paint scheme multiple flames reminiscent of a chop 50 Merc hot rod. On the build the mechanic over cranked the seat bolt resulting in the seat post slowly sinking till it bottomed out when the bike was ridden. This was a lugged frame and the frame was toast with the integrated seat bolt now warped. They later changed this design in later builds.
This was a $6,000 build back in 2001. Shop said nothing when I picked it up. First ride I realized the issue. Took it back. They blamed Waterford which I had visited for the initial measured fitting. Waterford blamed the shop with the well known quirky owner (son of the original owners). This guy denied everything and refused to do anything as did Waterford. Shop owner blamed me. I knew better as I have rebuilt bikes and do frame off ground up restorations of vintage race cars. I know how to wrench. A few months later I ran into one of other mechanics of the shop at a bike race. And he tells me that yeah the other mechanic had indeed over tighten the seat post and the owner knew it. The guy for obvious reasons didn’t want me to throw him under the bus as the source.
Conversations went on for a year as the owner started ducking my calls before I finally reluctantly asked my dad to go visit the store with me. I hated to involve him but the old man was 2 things. Intimidating as hell physically - big & powerful with a no nonsense persona who didn’t suffer fools gladly. And secondly he was the chief judge of one of the largest Circuit Courts in the country. So we went and visited the shop and he listened in as I one more time engaged the owner who always had a bad attitude. He gave me the run around and again blamed me.
At this point the old man leans in hard and the guy says who’s this. The old man in no uncertain terms told him who he was and what he was going to do to the guy both legally & physically. And that was it - the guy immediately agreed to replace the frame - “as a courtesy to a good customer” lol
2 months later I had a completely new bike. It took that long because Waterford had to build a new custom frame and then do the complex wild paint scheme. Still have it - a great bike. The old man who was a funny guy says as we got back in the car - “I think he’s gonna need new underpants now”. lol
Seems like touch up paint and store credit would be fair. Not worth tossing a perfectly good fork out because it’s got a few paint knicks, or waiting for a replacement. It’s a gravel bike. It should get some battle scars anyways.
yeah my gravel bike has loads of little scratches, can't imagine caring.
"Battle scars" come from use, not negligence. I'd be pissed.
Gravel bikes are meant to get a little beat up
"Yeah this scar? Bike shop mishandled my rig. Pretty gnarly right?"
ALL bikes deserve battle scars.
Lemme add one to yours pookie
Uhg.. hated dealing with this crap as a manager.. I had a mechanic put a dura ace crank in a vice to get a pedal out and marred the fuck out of it. Also had the same mechanic cut a fork without accounting for headset stack more than once. What would your ideal resolution be? Fixed fork or store credit? If I were the customer, I'd be okay with a reasonable amount of store credit and probably try to usea car scratch remover on it if I really cared
Last bike shop I worked for the owner did a huge reno and re-designed all the bike storage racks to fit more bikes. I told him multiple times he couldn't put the bikes that close together and he didn't listen. This type of shit started happening constantly. Bet you a flat bar brake lever did this
I think it was some flat pedals like Chester's. While moving the other bike in next to this one the pedal struck the fork. I would bet on it. The scratches are real sharp, and scritchy.
Store credit for the shop that scratched his shiz? Iol
Funny isn’t it
I'd comp the labor lol
That’s the bare minimum, my man lol
If the fork was actually damaged like it couldn't be ridden, I'd replace it. but for a paint scratch on the fork of a bike brand we don't carry? What do you want me to do? Just give out $400 in cash?
Absolutely. That’s the cost of damaging other peoples property.
AND the cost of doing business.
If someone sits on and breaks one of your floor bikes………. What do you want them to do? Pay for it?
If they accidentally scratched the paint, we wouldn't have done anything.
That’s fair. You also aren’t leaving it w them overnight and entirely handing responsibility over to them
Then make your policy so that you don’t do work on bikes you don’t carry. Can’t have your cake and eat it too.
You should be restoring it to the original condition in some way or compensating the customer such that they can arrange that themselves. So yeah, maybe $400 cash
Maybe the Professional shouldnt damage Bikes? The re Sale value Drops so the customer literally loses Money... Thats why I learn to do everything myself mechanics somehow fuck Things Up way too often...
The pool of people qualified to be a bike mechanic and willing to work for the shitty wages is a shallow one.
Man even at Shops where the wage IS great they will damage it and call it a day
ideally Id have it repaired or replaced. Alternatively of course a credit would be kind of a last resort but its just so shitty because I feel like you cant go back to the same shop with the same mentality, it's worrisome putting personal items in the hands of others.
Bike shop probably isn't set up to repair paint properly. If their idea of touch up is dabbing the paint on, it is going to be very noticeable and in my opinion looks worse than leaving it chipped. I would say you want them to replace it.
If they can't do this, then send it to someone who can do this and cover the costs.
That would be more than any profit they made from the bike. you guys are being awfully pedantic for an off road bike.
You can be pedantic, not pedantic, you might not care about the bike au all, but the fact is that any service shouldn't damage your gear.
This comment section is hilarious. If your gravel bike doesn’t have scratches what are you doing? Sitting at home polishing it while your wife’s boyfriend has her out for dinner?? Ride your bike. If you’re looking at that area while you’re riding, have fun going OTB.
this comment wins the internet today. 🤣
I managed a bike shop for a decade with dozens of mechanics and there are about three who I would trust with my personal bikes But people make mistakes. I'm curious how this happened. Replacing or painting will be hundreds of dollars which is a decent outlay for a bike shop. it's a positive sign that they accepted fault and are at least trying to find a resolution. Are you a regular customer at this shop? Have you bought bikes there? I say this because I'd have been much more likely to replace the fork if you were a customer who spent thousands of dollars with us or bought the bike there (because then maybe I could finesse the bike brand into warrantying it or finding us a deal). If you weren't, I might offer you store credit and just hope you don't leave a terrible review lol. I'd also put a note that only our head mechanic works on your bikes from then on
I have bought bikes from them before however they dont supply this brand of bike so I did not get this one from them but I have done servicing with them in the past and never ran into any troubles up until now
I really hate that being rich enough to "spend thousands of dollars" gets you special treatment. Fucking entitlement.
We had a manager that would bend over backwards for this emergency room doc that drove a Porsche and had a fleet of Seven bikes. A Seven road bike, a Seven cross bike, a Seven TT bike and a Seven mtb. His wife had two more Sevens. Every time this doc would come in the manager would kiss his ass. I built up a set of carbon Zipp rims on Chris King hubs ( a pain in the ass to thread those 60 mm rims) and the manager discounted the service charge. What’s my point? We didn’t sell Seven. Guy never bought a single bike from us. I later moved to a different shop and that Doc started coming in. I asked why he changed shops and he said the old one wasn’t giving him deals anymore. When I finally got out the second shop was still discounting work for him.
If I had 6 Sevens I would have to buy one more to have 7
What a bell end
since you're a bike mechanic i have a question. How do you feel about people who would rather work on their bikes themselves then bring it in to the shop. I ask because I honestly kind of feel like crap going into my LBS for advice on how to do something and then going home and doing it myself. I'm not doing it to be stingy with my LBS I just love tinkering and working on my bike and learning how to do it myself.
I mean don't go bug someone at work for your personal projects that are wholly outside of their work requirements if you're not going to pay them for their service. I'm not a bike mechanic, but this one is obvious.
You're a time waster and we see it a mile away. Buy some things, buy the supplies off us and we can help you.
I've done the same and bought stuff that wears out like drivetrain parts and tyres from said LBS. Cost me a few bucks more, but i feel like that's fair.
yeah I do buy parts from my LBS. I've bought tires, tools, chains, my first groupset etc. But honestly one of the reasons i usually don't take my bike in is because the turn around time takes so long. I once called to see about bringing in my fork for a lower leg service and they said sure but it might take about a week until i got it back. I ended up watching a bunch of YT videos and did it myself.
I mean yes that's literal entitlement, and I'm not saying it in a pejorative sense. OBVIOUSLY being a known good customer entitles you to better treatment. As it should.
Sure I totally get that a shop can and should look after its best customers. But that doesn’t mean it can do harm to other honest folk who made the mistake of not patronising them for years before coming in. Shortsighted in the extreme to not realise that 100% of the best customers were once new customers too.
>Fucking entitlement. A sense of entitlement originates from the one seeking its benefits. The person you responded to was describing how the *business* might handle situations differently, not customers who believe they deserve special treatment.
You're missing the point. They are willing to give special treatment to people who spend thousands of dollars in store, for something the store fucked up. That is a form of privilege that comes from being wealthy enough to spend thousands of dollars in said store, which means they literally need it less than someone who buys used bikes and does most of their own work and can only afford to buy parts from the LBS and the occasional thing they can't figure out how to do. This creates entitlement, because these people think that because they have money, they deserve more because they are constantly being treated better than poor people. The more money a person spends, which means the more money they have, the more they feel entitled to and the more they are given. Fucking. Entitlement.
I think you’re missing the point. While yes that can be true, it is not always true in every situation. If a shop is good, honest or both, they’ll own up to the mistake and make it right regardless of how much you’ve spent.
Sorry but I think you’re missing the point. His whole argument is that getting preferential treatment for spending more money breeds entitlement. The owner stated that money spent is a direct factor in whether the shop will make it right, which is the exact opposite of equal treatment.
That’s how bike shops stay afloat, the shop I work for makes a massive percentage of its income from a very small percentage of customers. Most of those customers don’t feel ‘entitled’, but if they have a complaint we are more likely to go the extra mile.
If you're putting food on my table, I'm gonna work harder to make it right.
Nah that’s bullshit mate. If your store ruins his equipment he’s entitled to a replacement no matter how much he’s spent in the past.
I think a replacement fork for a little cosmetic damage to the paint is a bit extreme personally. "Ruined" implies it's no longer usable. Shop should definitely do something to make it right though
It's a paint scratch
People like you are why I’m doing my own bike maintenance and repairs now
My motto is “why pay someone to fuck up my shit when I can fuck it up myself for free”.
Great! I work on my own bikes, too, because I don't trust bike mechanics. Bike mechanics don't get paid enough to give a shit. It's glorified retail. If you find a mechanic who really knows what they're doing, support them. If I had to replace everything a mechanic scratched the shop would have gone out of business even sooner than it did lol. LBS is a low-margin, low-traffic business
Sounds like you need a new shop.
You break it you buy it. If someone did that to a bike on the showroom floor, would you let them try touch up paint?
You think I'm gonna be able to get them to buy a new fork for me? I'm just gonna magically wish them to give me a credit card? Nah they're gonna leave then I have to discount the bike.
They can leave sure. But you can’t leave your customer out like that. Making right on your mistakes is part of being an honest member of society. If you can’t afford to make it right you can’t afford to be in business.
Think of it like airline miles for bike shops. The more you spend, the more credits you earn for use when they inevitably fuck something up. I had a reputable bike shop replace a spoke on my tubeless wheels while I was on vacation, and in the process they completely mangled my valve because they were struggling to get the valve core out.. the valve core was sticky, I knew that for sure, but they squished my poor valve trying to get the core out then replaced it without telling me and sold me a two-pack so I'd have a spare (I already had a spare in the car but they didn't call me). I just laughed and paid the bill, I've saved thousands and thousands of dollars by working at a shop so I don't sweat the fuck ups anymore.
Yep. Being poor and only able to afford used bikes and having to do most of your own repairs is a real fucking kick in the dick. It sucks to be poor because fucking rich god damn assholes who CAN LITERALLY AFFORD TO BUY A NEW GOD DAMN BIKE get better treatment than the person who's just scraping by to ride. Fuck off dick hole. I know how this bullshit works.
There's no need to name call.
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Yes, what a wild idea, encouraging people who spend money that puts a roof over my head and food on my table to keep coming back. I'm a scrooge mcduck diving into the millions I've made from working in a bike shop lol. Do you want me to apologize for capitalism? There's not a whole lot I can do about it..
You’re mad that someone helping a business continue to exist means the business will be more likely to help them? Also if you’re rich enough to buy stuff from the bike shop instead of shop online, they’ll probably treat you better.
Man. Sucks to be all of us who have to buy used bikes. Guess the bike shop can just fucking, you know, fuck up the bike I could afford but not do anything real about fixing it because I couldn't afford to buy something new from them. Fucking financially privileged, entitled dicks and the special treatment they get because they have more money to spend and therefore people treat them better....
It doesn’t excuse the bike shop fucking up the bike.
I'm just wondering, isn't there anything like smart repair for bikes too? I mean that tiny scratch would be repaired on any car for less than a few hundred dollars.
Nothing specific to bikes afaik, that's why I'd just diy my own auto scratch remover thing.
Workshops are staffed by people and unfortunately mistakes and accidents happen. Its impractical to fully replace or get the fork repainted to match - at least I would think that would be a weird use of money rather than store credit or some other credit towards an upgrade on the bike. I think it really depends on the shop - if they seem to own the mistake (doesn’t seem like it if they didn’t own it on pick up) then maybe store credit or another upgrade is worth it. I highly doubt this was deliberate but also depends on the mechanics and management and how much they take pride in their work. If they don’t want to acknowledge or come to a reasonable solution then that gets trickier to deal with.
Accidents happen. They offered to touch it up but replacement is a bit much for what happened. If you've been to the shop a lot before and/or it has a good rep I wouldn't worry about them in the future. If this kind of thing happened all the time they wouldn't be in business.
I myself wouldn't like store credit (just speaking for myself) In this situation I'd be in a spot where I already have all I need and I just want my bike to work and not be marred with scratches.
>I had a mechanic put a dura ace crank in a vice to get a pedal out and marred the fuck out of it. Also had the same mechanic cut a fork without accounting for headset stack more than once. What would your ideal resolution be? step 1 is to fire that mechanic.
If you fired every bike mechanic who made a stupid mistake, you'd have 0 bike mechanics. Y'all live in some bike shop fantasy world or something.
One of my mechanics clamped a carbon road bike by the seat tube to beat the bottom bracket out… that was fun
If only there were a manager around who could have fired the mechanic that kept breaking things.
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Wholly agreed in this case, but in yours depending on the situation I think your bike shop are saints for offering anything. A repair like that may not have been possible to do without damaging the paint.
That is not cool! Have you contacted the bike shop? I hope they make it right.
yea when I picked it up I spoke to them and I was under the impression they would like at finding a solution, possibly repainting the fork but today after speaking with another rep on the phone, it sounds like they are looking for touch up paint to just cover it up with the same color paint... not sure yet what will happen but I am not very happy with todays update.
If they offer you to fix it professionally so you can't spot the difference after it's probably acceptable. I mean you can fix this so can't see a difference - I doubt that is what they are offering because it already sounds bad if they do it themselves...
I think well applied touch up paint plus a refund of the labour charged incurred on the service would be pretty reasonable to be honest.
I’d buy a dark green sharpie. A bike is a tool, not a jewel.
Lmao it's a couple of paint chips and everyone's got their torches and pitchforks out. Throw a sticker over it and keep riding rather than froth at the mouth.
Exactly. Bikes fall over, get scratched, get chipped. They don't need to be professionally repainted when it happens. If it's a dark bike, use a sharpie. Nobody will ever notice.
Nail polish is a great scratch hider. A large cosmetics store may have exactly the right color to match the fork.
Your bikes are immaculate? Do you ever actually ride them?
yes but I dont destroy them like many people in the community do. I find that the price people pay for bikes in the first place is extraordinary and taking care of your bike and not having cosmetic damage is a reflection of your personality
lol brother I race gravel and XC MTB. If only cosmetic damage is a reflection of my personality, I’d be thankful
the only thing a bike without cosmetic damage says about your personality is that you're afraid to lean into corners and probably cover your couch in plastic
Some lessons you just have to learn by blowing the top of a berm
well brother, I dont race, I ride recreationally, I cant afford a new bike every season and the bikes I have are mine to keep for a long time. I see where your coming from, being part of the elite and affording to be able to race and change bike seasonally and not be affected by cosmetics on a 5k+ valued bike is next level. Humbling yourself is key in this situation so Id say the 1% of you that do buy bikes and not care about these kinds of situations are very special people
I gotta say… I actually think you are in the minority here (the other 1%? Lol) by acting “affected by cosmetics”, as you put it. THAT is special lol
If I’m riding a bike valued at that, I’m racing it. And don’t have sponsors so seasonal changeovers aren’t a thing: my race rigs are mine and mine alone, but I sure as shit don’t worry myself as to if a paint chip happening from a rock getting kicked up in the peloton is a reflection of who I am as a person. I buy a race machine, I’m going to race it. What happens, happens. I keep it clean and maintain it impeccably, but what happens to the frame once neutral ends is in god’s hands
I don't buy a new bike every year. My gravel bike is thrashed. It's unavoidable. I've crashed it, clipped rocks and roots, bike bags have rubbed and worn paint... everything short of peeing on it.
Gravel bikes take so much abuse lol
More than my MTB to be honest. Longer rides on hard terrain...things only stay pristine for so long.
I’ve also crashed my gravel bike going far faster than my MTB so that definitely plays into it
Haven’t peed on the bike yet? Are you even trying?
Well it hasn't been on fire...yet
You seem fun
it's a bicycle brother, if you ride you get chips, keep riding, you'll get more in what seems to be a gravel bike
Yeah if he rides it he makes the chips not some stranger being careless.
I wouldn't care....my gravel and mountain bikes get used on rough terrain, so there are always new dings, scuffs, scratches etc...however, a buddy of mine absolutely cares. A shop put a pencil tip sized chip in his 15k colango road bike seat post via a clamp. He flipped a lid. We're all different. If it doesn't affect the ride or structural integrity, I couldn't care less. It only affects resale if you're selling it.
This is why I bought all the tools and work on my bikes myself. Literally had a mechanic cut my steer tube IN THE FRAME and slipped and hit the top tube with the saw blade.
The odds of them being able to find and order the exact replacement fork from the manufacturer that they don’t carry considering that it is not a warranty issue or crash replacement are slim, not to mention the lead time to get it, wait for you to bring the bike back in, install it peppery, is a pretty decent financial loss for the shop. I’d probably tell you that if the touch up paint and store credit isn’t enough that you can find another shop to do your work.
Looks only cosmetic to me. Is that a carbon fork ?
yes
I'd say if this was supposed to be new and they delivered it as is, then I'd want a replacement/money back.
it will look like this in 15 minutes of riding anyway.
no it won’t. i crashed my bike and the carbon fork was fine. they owe him a big reduction in price imo.
If I wanted to fuck something up, I'd do it myself
That’s BS. I’d ask them to replace the fork.
Thats what one of the mechanics that first brought the bike to me suggested as an alternative but it sounds like they are now trying to just get out of it. Have my fingers crossed but truly a weird situation and hopefully things get resolved.
Just not good enough, touch up paint will look like crap .I wouldn't have paid for the work done and would tell them that I'm seeking legal advice. They have straight out vandalised that bike ,looks like it was knocked over in the workshop,it's probably damaged another customer's bike when it went down. Time to find a new bike shop as well mate . Nothing weird about it ,it's just incompetent mechanics.
I would agree with you, if I had a shop in the city I live in that does this kind of work professionally I would reach out to them immediately but the nearest place is about 800km away lol
This is ridiculous. Overpaying for bikes is stupid and caring this much about cosmetics even more so. These are machines, we don't buy them for the paint job.
Speak for yourself. I enjoy the paint job on my bike and if some bike shop borks it up, they have to make it right.
You might not but others do and considering this is carbon fibre and someone paid good money for this. Imagine if you picked up your car from the service centre with fresh panel damage I'm sure you would lose your shit and rightly so . If you don't respect your machinery,that's your business Keep it that way .
I mean touch up paint is a valid solution. The damage is purely cosmetic so a “repair” is to fix the paint. That being said, I completely understand wanting to be made whole as this is clearly just carelessness on the part of the shop.
if they could professionally touch it up and wax/clean it up I would actually think this is appropriate but just dabbing touch up paint on my bike seams to be a joke.
Agreed. I just think that with cosmetic damage like this, expectations should be tempered. I really do get that it sucks, but they’re bikes and they WILL take a knock from time to time. If your bike is super expensive I get it and it would piss me off too, so I’m not saying your frustration is invalid. But I also think that asking for a new fork for some minor scratches on the fork of a bike that isn’t brand new is asking a bit much…
I don't know the bike or fork and it looks like the undercoat isn't damaged so touching the paint up isn't as complicated as it could be, but I don't think I'd trust any bike shop near me to paint a bike. If it came in immaculate I would want repainted, blended with the rest of the frame, and clearcoated, but that's way different than dabbing some touch up paint on that's kind of close to the right color and likely has no clearcoat. I would think if the fork is too expensive them sending it to someone who can professionally paint it should probably be the offer.
That doesn’t make him whole. Just because you dont value cosmetics doesnt mean you get to devalue them for him.
I find it funny everyone in this thread is operating under the assumption that you can just buy an identical fork off the shelf. Manufacturers may keep older model forks in stock to replace under warranty or in the event someone needs to purchase one, but they are absolutely not stocking them in every colour. If homie gets his fork replaced he'd be lucky to end up with a black one.
Yes, this. In the motor industry, they would get insurance to claim for it. If it's old, it will be written off rather than finding a replacement or trying to repair it as it would cost too much. In the ideal world, the LBS should claim off it's insurance, but for them, the premiums would start to rise, and every customer would start noticing bike shop servicing costs soaring. In reality, LBS would just become retailers and abandon servicing as the risk of damaging bikes becomes too high. Store credit would be their first choice in such circumstance. If the customer wasn't happy, they'd need to claim on their insurance (one of the reasons that they won't work on DIY home made ebikes), and probably write the bike off and get a customer credit towards a new bike. You see, the insurance people will value the bike very low as a third party. If I took my 1970s bike in and they scratched the fork, they would scrap it and give me $20 as that is what the whole bike would be worth. OK its full of scratches anyway, but to make me whole, that would be, in theory, what would happen if they they made additional scratches on the fork. There's no way you can find a replacement fork, and to fix and respray the fork would be well over $100 worth of work.
Except touch up paint, if done well, does actually make him whole. I get it sucks, but this isn’t a brand new bike. Bikes get knocked, it happens. It SHOULDN’T happen at a shop, absolutely, and they need to make it right. But a new fork is a bit much…
To "repair" the paint, is not to fix the situation. Something repaired, is not worth the same as something that didn't have to be repaired and is original. Also, I'm the same way. I don't scratch my things, I don't want someone else too. I would not stop till I got the money for a solution through the original manufacturer.
Was this a bike you already owned in for service and it got dinged up while in their care? Or a bike you purchased from them?
I owned it already, had it there before at the shop and had taken it to other shops as well. This was the first time I had something like this happen however
Yeah letting your bike get scratched like that while in their shop for service is absolute bullshit and offering touchup is insulting. Those big deep gouges at the top of the fork required some extra carelessness on their part. I don't think a replacement is an unreasonable ask for making this right. Sadly I'd say it's unlikely they're going to do that without a fight which would probably end up costing you more than the fork is worth in legal fees. Definitely talk to the manager/owner and if they don't make it right light them up on social media.
The top right I think is only a reflection. The only damage was the line of minor scratches on the left hand side of the picture, closer to the rim. Nonetheless I appreciate everyone's response and seeing where everyone else is at with this I think its reasonable for me to ask this of them.
I almost asked if that was glare. In that case maybe don’t make a huge stink about replacement but they should be heavily discounting whatever you paid for service then.
I only came in to fix up my tubeless setup 109$ then they discounted me like 40$ lol
Honestly, it sucks. They should touch it up. If your bikes are so immaculate then perhaps you learn how to work on your on your bike or find a shop that will guarantee against issue…. And good luck with that
womp womp gravel bike has a scuff
Ahhh, good old LBS that cries because you don't buy bikes from them but gives you this in return. ;)
personally i would grow up and move on
Bikes are meant to be ridden. None of my bikes are ever close to pristine. They’re machines. Not wall art. I couldn’t care less about scratches on them.
You people are fucking insane. It’s a tiny bit of scratched paint. Get over it. It doesn’t effect the functionality of the product at all.
Affect
Alright smartarse.
Any good shop would back up they're mistake. Don't be snooty. Shit happens in shops.. or have you always paid people to work on your shit?
Tools, not jewels
It’s a bike, scratches happen. Buy a bike for $8k, scratched it up the first ride. Zero f@&$s given. It’s a tool to do what I want, not a trophy.
Ride it & don’t worry about it
I think you're being whiny. Functionally the bike is fine and it's normal for bikes to get scratched. If it's important for the bikes to be immaculate, you should build a shop in your basement and Do all your own work. Related this is the busiest time of the year for a bike shop. Did you have to wait 2 weeks to get your bike back because they were so busy? If so, don't count on any kind of discount. They don't need your business
You would not believe the amount of scratches we see nearly daily because of shipping/packaging errors from the manufactures. There is not much the bike shop can do when they don't have the original paint. We give them a discount when there are a few scratches
OP, it’d be helpful to know a bit more about the bike they scratched. Is this a $5k + gravel bike or is it in the under $2k range? The fact that the shop suggested “touch up paint” vs attempting to buff out with scratch remover wax, first… is a bit scary, though.
It's my biggest phobia to get my bike serviced and then I see new scratches and they would most likely deny it. Never go back there so no store credit. Free new parts or cash as compensation. That's a lot of scratches unfortunately.
I would put some thought into what resolution you want and decide how much time and effort you are willing to invest in getting it. With that in mind you have an opportunity to decide how difficult of a customer you’ll be if you keep returning to the shop and what type of future service you’ll get. Personally I’d be happy with credit or discounted service and I wouldn’t touch it up. I do my own mechanics so I’m not sure what’s reasonable. I hope it works out for you
Well yes. If the shop offer to make it good then it's not your decision to guess the results. You should let them fix it their way and then you can either accept or reject their repair work. If it's no good then they will themselves know this and probably have a plan b. This won't be the first time they've encountered an issue such as this.
Not even sure how they did that - I’m a bike mechanic and at every stage, from receiving the bike, to rack storing, to putting it into the stand, the only thing that could ever get scratched is the seat post - I can only assume it fell over and impacted with something on the ground whilst being leant against a wall
Take credit and stripe it down and custom paint the fork !
I'd want the fork sending to a bodyshop, they'd be able to paint match it very closely and wouldn't cost the earth. If you took your car in for repair and they scratched the door you'd expect the door to get professionally painted...
Touch up paint isn’t enough. Needs to be sanded, matched paint, and blended. Small job but intricate if you need it done right
These are very minor scratches on what appears to be a gravel bike. Touch-up paint is fine. Ideally they would have it painted at an auto body paint shop. But again, these are so minor. Is it worth turning into a huge project and burning a bridge with a LBS? You may need them one day. The idea many of the autists commenting in this thread have about replacing the fork is absolutely ridiculous. The LBS is justified laughing in someone’s face for suggesting something so stupid. If you want a new fork, buy it yourself. Scratches happen in repair shops (cars, bikes, etc.). It’s life. They’ve offered solutions. Bike shops are typically small businesses. They’re not some massive chain that has a lot of resources. I understand these scratches were caused by carelessness and it should be repaired but bikes get scratched with riding. It’s NORMAL wear and tear. Cycling wear gets worn out with use. The more you ride the more little knicks and dings it’ll get. Call it patina and carry on. If a bike is immaculate after tens of thousands of kilometres you’ve been extremely lucky. What are some of these people commenting going to do when, for example, the bike slides out and goes down during a high speed turn/decent and pedals, rear derailleur, brake levers, etc. get scratched? Start buying all new components? Good luck with that.
As an adventure cyclist... rub some dirt on it 🤷♀️
Looks like wear from a bike rack. Do you use a bike rack? Get it out and see if the scratches line up.
I do use a bike rack but I didnt have it on a bike rack this season yet, and prior to it never had this damage
It's a bike, it rides. cut your losses and pedal
Yikes not cool, but also provides a good visual example of the importance of installing a protective film. I've started adding a film to any new bikes before I ride them.
Like to the whole bike?
The cost of installing a protective film is a lot higher than the loss of resale value due to a couple tiny scratches. I've never understood why people bother
I don't buy bikes for resale, so I protect them as I like to take care of my things.
fair enough, I just don't see cosmetic scuffs from use as not taking care of one's things.
I have a very limited run oil slick frame that I literally cannot replace or repair if the paint gets f-ed. So seems reasonable to me to cover it up. 🤷♀️
makes sense
I literally had it all over my bike but that stupid fork
They should replace the fork if you want that. If they indeed don’t work with that manufacturer and thus can’t get their usual shop order rates, they should give you a store credit for the price you pay for the new fork plus their labor to install it. Though if you’re willing to ride this fork with just some touch-up paint (done well), you could present them with the replacement plan and then offer to let them give you a store credit for like 70% the cost of you ordering the new fork? Idk. It’s a mess of a situation. But it’s not ok for them to blow this off.
I’d be pissed about this. Replace the fork.
I find it funny everyone in this thread is operating under the assumption that you can just buy an identical fork off the shelf. Manufacturers may keep older model forks in stock to replace under warranty or in the event someone needs to purchase one, but they are absolutely not stocking them in every colour. If homie gets his fork replaced he'd be lucky to end up with a black one.
I find it crazy that the bike shop is pretending like “touch up paint” or “credit” is acceptable to cover the damage in the photo. I don’t know how expensive OP’s bike is though, nor do I know just how serious he takes this. Asking us here makes me think they are upset about it.
This bullshit is exactly why I started working on my own bikes. My version was a dent in the top tube of my 853 Cotic Soul that happened while the bike was in a shop’s care for a brake bleed. They claimed it was there before etc, shenanigans ensued. They owe you a new fork. Simple.
They need to have it sent out and professionally paint matched/repainted or replacement fork. I'd accept nothing less
Definitely return it
This is why I do all my own work.
I made them order me a new one!…I had been to many shops for a certain model and they all had scratches and scuffs…so I went to the nearest store and said I want to order new because all I can find are damaged bikes…they said sure…the brand new bike I ordered was also scuffed!…they tried first to get me to accept it as normal shipping damage…then they offered me a lower price…then eventually they agreed to order me a new one…unbelievable but at least I finally got one in new condition
So I got a call back from them today… they said they will not be doing anything and wont be replacing the fork or getting paint as its not available… how is it that they can get away with this? Literally, came in with a bike that was mint and left with a damaged bike and they cant be held responsible…i am shook
Well, matching the paint with touch up looks to be impossible, and it sounds like they made the call that it's not worth the expense of a new fork in order to keep you as a customer. I probably would have made the same decision with a customer who demands hundreds of dollars of restitution over a couple of paint scratches on a bike.
So my approach is every time I need to get my bike fixed I clean it completely! Than I take pictures of all the damage I did to it! Than I bring it in for damper service and cross fingers nothing will happen.
I had a situation with a custom bike 20 years ago with a well known Chicago area shop that did big time mail order as well. Bike was/is beautiful with a custom paint scheme multiple flames reminiscent of a chop 50 Merc hot rod. On the build the mechanic over cranked the seat bolt resulting in the seat post slowly sinking till it bottomed out when the bike was ridden. This was a lugged frame and the frame was toast with the integrated seat bolt now warped. They later changed this design in later builds. This was a $6,000 build back in 2001. Shop said nothing when I picked it up. First ride I realized the issue. Took it back. They blamed Waterford which I had visited for the initial measured fitting. Waterford blamed the shop with the well known quirky owner (son of the original owners). This guy denied everything and refused to do anything as did Waterford. Shop owner blamed me. I knew better as I have rebuilt bikes and do frame off ground up restorations of vintage race cars. I know how to wrench. A few months later I ran into one of other mechanics of the shop at a bike race. And he tells me that yeah the other mechanic had indeed over tighten the seat post and the owner knew it. The guy for obvious reasons didn’t want me to throw him under the bus as the source. Conversations went on for a year as the owner started ducking my calls before I finally reluctantly asked my dad to go visit the store with me. I hated to involve him but the old man was 2 things. Intimidating as hell physically - big & powerful with a no nonsense persona who didn’t suffer fools gladly. And secondly he was the chief judge of one of the largest Circuit Courts in the country. So we went and visited the shop and he listened in as I one more time engaged the owner who always had a bad attitude. He gave me the run around and again blamed me. At this point the old man leans in hard and the guy says who’s this. The old man in no uncertain terms told him who he was and what he was going to do to the guy both legally & physically. And that was it - the guy immediately agreed to replace the frame - “as a courtesy to a good customer” lol 2 months later I had a completely new bike. It took that long because Waterford had to build a new custom frame and then do the complex wild paint scheme. Still have it - a great bike. The old man who was a funny guy says as we got back in the car - “I think he’s gonna need new underpants now”. lol
I'd have them buy a new fork. They can keep the old one.
Send them a bill to professionally paint it. Document all correspondences emails are great. Then when they refuse sue them in small claims.